Blanco Bronco is - easily - one of my favorite Tacoma bands. Messy, sometimes confused, heavily distorted - and with the gritty heart of a champion, there's not much not to like when it comes to Blanco Bronco's punk and new wave influenced take on ‘90s bred indie rock. When Blanco Bronco takes to the stage, people take note - unless they're already too drunk to stand.

As mentioned in the interview with drummer Peter Tietjen of Umber Sleeping on our blog Spew, Blanco Bronco will play The New Frontier Lounge on Saturday, plugging in with The Dignitaries, The Little Penguins, and the aforementioned Umber Sleeping. It'll easily be one of the weekend's best musical bets.

I caught up with Blanco Bronco - all three of them (including "Heath Jergens" - who was away from the band for a year) - earlier this week to get their take on the fuzzed out action coming Saturday night to the Dome District.

WEEKLY VOLCANO: I haven't checked in with you guys FOREVER. Please, tell me what's new. Certainly, I assume, much has evolved and changed. I catch your political poetry via Facebook from time to time - has this sort of hippy liberalism worked it's way into the Blanco Bronco fold?

MANJO TALIBAN: As far as hippie liberalism I actually am more of a Libertarian. The force of my attacks will always fall hardest on the biggest hypocrites and I will always decry dehumanizing tactics no matter what political side. The GOP crew just seems to be such an extraordinary case example in our current time. In a time where we need political leadership to actually solve problems we need less small time manipulative talking point BS and that will always apply to both sides.

BARRY TYLER MOORE:  Manjo is the hippie liberal. Heath and I are in the young Republicans. Palin 2012!

HEATH JERGENS: As the only Jergens in this band I am pretty apolitical. I feel like portions of my skull will implode and some sort of demon baby will peek its way out if I think about politics too much.

VOLCANO: Seriously, though - great show coming up with Umber Sleeping. What are your thoughts on the bill - and how will the sheer rock of Blanco Bronco compliment the Three's Company, electro-wizardry of Umber Sleeping? From what I understand Peter put this bill together. Do you have a good relationship with him? How would you rate him as a drummer in T-town?

MANJO TALIBAN: We haven't had much of a relationship other than admiring Umber's talents from afar. My dealings with him have been brief and always pleasant. As far as rating him as a drummer he ranks as an elite Jedi in his field. Every time I've seen him play it has been rather mesmerizing but at the same time not so distracting from the talent of the band as a whole. I really like what they do and have been inspired by them.

MOORE: I haven't ever seen Umber Sleeping. My year away from the band leaves me at a loss.

JERGENS: Playing with a band like Umber Sleeping is exactly what I like about this town's music scene. I think we compliment each other rather well. We've flirted with the idea of having a keyboard element to the band because of bands like Umber but ultimately decided to keep ourselves a trio just to keep the song writing process simpler.

VOLCANO: I asked the same question to Peter Tietjen, but it applies to any band in Tacoma. The scene in T-town goes in fits and starts, it seems. Sometimes it feels really promising, only to put us all in our place. How are you feeling about things in Tacoma these days? Can you accomplish everything here that you hope to?

MOORE: I was really looking forward to coming back to the Tacoma scene. I think it really has a lot to offer, in spite of itself and what the City of Tacoma is doing to completely ruin it - i.e. the noise ordinance, sprinkler laws and the no drinks onstage while under the employ of the venue.

Tacoma has this cycle of good and bad. Tacoma is like that great friend you had in high school, the one you had crazy times with. But as you both got older, you grew up and Tacoma didn't. Now, you're always having to go pick up Tacoma in a bad neighborhood at 3 a.m. because it got too drunk and didn't have money for a cab - or letting Tacoma crash on your couch, just until it gets back on its feet. At least it's not Seattle. Seattle has a great job, a beautiful wife, a house on the hill and a two-car garage - but Seattle throws boring dinner parties and has a bad comb-over. At least Tacoma has character.

I think we've accomplished as much as we ever expected. For a Tacoma band that has never booked a show, cut an album or marketed ourselves in any way, we've been able to play with some amazing bands at some great places, and for the most part, people seem to dig us - and really can't define us. Hopefully, we'll cut a record soon - maybe do a short tour and lose some money with some good friends. What more could you ask for?

VOLCANO: Beards. Why are they so cool?

MANJO: Beards? They cover up our external dorkness in order to let us be more at ease with our inner spas.

MOORE: I love bears. Oh, wait...beards? No, beards are gross.

VOLCANO: Where has your inspiration been coming from lately? In a world where everything's been done at least 73 times, where does Blanco Bronco find artistic excitement?
 
JERGENS: Right now Manjo, Barry and I are writing a charming little diddy about our love of this darling town though you may not perceive it when you listen to it. Maybe we'll get to debut it this Saturday. It's 90 percent there. It will be a close call.

VOLCANO: Anything you'd like to add?

JERGENS: I'd like to give a note of thanks to Ash (Handpanther) Rivera for filling in to provide an alternate universe version of Blanco Bronco for the year while Barry was away.

[The New Frontier Lounge, with Umber Sleeping, the Dignitaries, and The Little Penguins, Saturday, April 24, 9 p.m., 301 E. 25th St., Tacoma, 253.572.4020]